Greeting facts for kids

Sampeah (Cambodian greeting)

Greetings are nice things to say when people meet each other. Greetings may be different from culture to culture. These are some greetings used a lot in the English language:

• "Hello", "hi", and "hey"
• "Good [morning, afternoon, evening], which changes with the time of day
• "What's up?", "Yo", "What's up?", and "What's happening?", which are not formal
• "G'day", a greeting used a lot in Australia
• "Howdy", an informal greeting used a lot in rural areas of the United States
• "How do you do", which is used as a question in some places and a normal greeting in others

There are also ways to greet without talking, such as these:

• Handshakes
• Bowing
• Waving
• Hat-raising or tipping
• Kissing on the hand or cheek
• Hongi
• Kowtow
• Namaste
• Roman salute

Images for kids

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  Translations of the word welcome shown in many places frequented by foreigners or tourists to welcome people of all different nationalities.

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  The civilian Secretary General of NATO Joseph Luns tips his hat at a troop review in 1983, in lieu of a military salute. This (the full gesture is shown here) was by then becoming old-fashioned as a general social greeting, but had once been normal.

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  Steven Gerrard performing a Wai

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  Waving

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  Denis Thatcher, husband of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher, greets former American First Lady Nancy Reagan by kissing her hand, 1988